John McCain Will Say Anything to Win



    WASHINGTON, July 14 /EMWNews/ -- The following release

was issued today by the Democratic National Committee:



    



    John McCain may be trying to turn the page on the disastrous week he

just had, but this week is shaping up to be no better. Today, Senator

McCain will walk a tightrope at the National Council of La Raza's annual

conference in San Diego. McCain's recent double talk on immigration is

proof he will say anything to get elected. That dissonance was on display

yesterday on a campaign conference call where one of McCain's advisors

touted border security measures in a bill McCain is co-sponsoring with

Senator Lindsey Graham. According to the AP, that bill also includes making

undocumented status a criminal misdemeanor, something very different from

the comprehensive approach the candidate is likely to emphasize at La Raza

today. [McCain campaign conference call, 7/13/08; Associated Press, 8/3/07]



    MCCAIN'S DOUBLETALK ON IMMIGRATION



    2005: McCain Introduced Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation

With Senator Kennedy. "Millions of undocumented workers in the United

States could come out of the shadows by registering with the government and

paying fines or fees of at least $2,000 to begin earning permanent

residency under the most sweeping immigration-reform bill in two decades.

The bill introduced Thursday was dubbed the 'Secure America and Orderly

Immigration Act' by its bipartisan group of sponsors, led by Sens. John

McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. It would create a

temporary-work visa program for foreigners to fill jobs requiring few or no

skills, for up to six years. The legislation was touted as ensuring tougher

enforcement of laws at the border and in the workplace while speeding the

process of reuniting immigrant families. In addition, Mexico and other

countries would be encouraged to enter into agreements to play a more

active role in helping prevent illegal immigration into the United States,

including promoting more economic opportunity back home. House sponsors Jim

Kolbe and Jeff Flake, both Arizona Republicans, and Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill.,

joined McCain and Kennedy on Thursday in casting the legislation as a

comprehensive approach to immigration reform and national security." [The

Arizona Republic, 5/13/05]



    2008: McCain Said He Would Oppose the Legislation He Authored With

Kennedy. Asked whether he would vote for the immigration legislation he

previously sponsored, McCain eventually replied, "No, I would not." [CNN

GOP Presidential Debate, 1/30/08]



    2006: McCain Said an "Enforcement First" Strategy Focusing Only on

Border Security is an "Ineffective And Ill-Advised Approach." "In April

[2006], the Senate overwhelmingly passed, in a bipartisan fashion, a

comprehensive immigration reform package designed to secure our borders as

well as address the economic need for workers in our Nation. In passing

this legislation, the Senate rejected the argument for an 'enforcement

first' strategy that focuses on border security only, an ineffective and

ill-advised approach. Congress cannot take a piecemeal approach to a

national security crisis. I believe the only way to truly secure our border

and protect our Nation is through the enactment of comprehensive

immigration reform. As long as there is a need for workers in the United

States and people are willing to cross the desert to make a better life for

their families, our border will never be secure." [McCain, Congressional

Record, 9/29/06]



    2007: Presidential Candidate McCain Touts Securing The Border First. In

2008, McCain said, "And our proposal has got to be securing the borders

first. The American people have no trust or confidence in us that we would

secure the borders." In November 2007, McCain argued, "I want to assure you

that I'll enforce the borders first." [CNN Larry King Live, 2/14/08;

CNN/YouTube GOP Presidential Debate, 11/28/07]



    2007: McCain Acknowledged His Shift on Immigration Reform During the

Republican Primary Campaign. "John McCain spent months earlier this year

arguing that the United States must combine border security efforts with a

temporary worker program and an eventual path to citizenship for many

illegal immigrants. Now, the Republican presidential candidate emphasizes

securing the borders first. The rest, he says, is still needed but will

have to come later. 'I understand why you would call it a, quote, shift,'

McCain told reporters Saturday after voters questioned him on his position

during back-to-back appearances in this early voting state. 'I say it is a

lesson learned about what the American people's priorities are. And their

priority is to secure the borders.' The shift in approach is likely to draw

criticism from McCain's GOP opponents. Immigration has been a flash point

in the race, with rivals Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson all

seizing on it." [Associated Press, 11/3/07]



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